Winter Flames
by Gemna
Summary: On a cold winter's night, Rei receives a surprise visitor at Hikawa Shrine.


_Author notes:_ I was issued a challenge earlier this month from a friend. A winter fic, with lots of fluff and a some spice. You know who you are, and I thank you for the idea and your help.

Also, through some miracle of miracles, it has reached completion just in time for Christmas.

Hope you like it.

**Winter Flames**

Rei stared wordlessly into the glowing red flames, grateful to feel their warmth washing across her. Uncomfortable though the heat of summer had been, it was far preferable to the frigid weather that had recently settled upon Tokyo. The young priestess shivered slightly and moved closer to the fire, knowing her sleeping quarters were going to seem much colder later on.

Save for her time training in Kyoto, Rei could not recall encountering such a biting cold. She wondered at first if it might be a sign of some greater trouble to come, but she had experienced no visions and when she consulted the fire, it was blessedly silent. Still, after a week of nearly freezing to death while she worked outside, Rei had taken to visiting the sacred room more than usual. One of her elders had remarked in a teasing voice that Rei didn't spend nearly so much time meditating during the warmer seasons. She was spared the trouble of replying when an apprentice appeared to inform the smirking elder that the extra hot bath he had requested was ready.

The apprentice had been quite concerned by Rei's sudden coughing fit.

Rei grinned to herself at the memory and blinked as something flashed in the fire, too quickly for her to catch. She cursed herself for missing whatever it was, and got to her feet, immediately on the alert.

Someone was approaching the shrine. Given the late hour, that very likely meant trouble, but this felt different. Familiar. A sudden spark flared in her and she flung open the door to the fire room, hoping she was right.

Taking in the eerie quiet of the corridor, Rei chuckled at the sight of Phobos and Deimos hopping past her into the warmth. Normally the ravens were barred from the room, but as there was no one else around to object, Rei let them be. She had the whole of Hikawa entirely to herself. There was little work the apprentices could do in such cold weather, and the elders had conveniently been called away to a retreat in the far south, leaving Rei behind to tend the shrine. Since she had returned recently from a trip to Greece, Rei could hardly complain. Besides, they all knew how much the young woman enjoyed her solitude.

They had no idea.

While Rei didn't mind being by herself, the elders' absence would be far more enjoyable if she had a certain celebrity by her side—nor would she need to spend so much time beside the fire to keep warm.

She and Minako could create their own.

Just the thought of the idol made her cheeks flush with heat, and Rei had a feeling that she had the same effect on the singer. Nothing could warm her up quite like Minako could.

But Minako was away on another tour—a mercifully brief one for a Christmas concert in London—although she was supposed to be back soon.

Soon. How soon? Tonight?

Rei had been so preoccupied with the strange weather that she had lost track of the days.

She bit her lip and hurried towards the shrine's entrance. It was a bit of a struggle to slide open the sizeable door, and Rei's eyes grew enormous as she took in the reason why.

"Snow," she whispered, amazed.

Soft, fluffy flakes drifted lazily toward the ground, which was already covered in a deep blanket of white. Evidently it had been coming down for quite some time, and it felt as though the cold snap had finally broken.

Ignoring the fact that she was only in her priestess robes, Rei stepped out into the grounds, holding her palms up towards the falling flakes, giggling softly as they tickled her cheeks. It felt as though she was surrounded by the night sky, with a million stars dancing around her.

Rei was struck by how quiet everything was. The surrounding city had come to a complete standstill because of the weather—and no doubt the airports were affected by it as well, she realized with a pang.

Perhaps she had been wrong about the date after all.

Sighing, she turned to go back inside when something flew out of the darkness and exploded against the side of her head. Rei yelped and spun around, feeling remnants of a snowball trickling down her neck. Its coldness nearly made her shriek.

A familiar giggle echoed from the grounds and Rei couldn't help but grin. She knelt and scooped up some snow and closed her eyes in concentration. She raised her arm, took aim, and let fly.

More laughter immediately followed.

"You missed me by a mile Reiko! Just how accurate _is_ that sixth sense of yours anyw—ah!"

Rei smirked as her second snowball hit its mark, and fought to control her amusement as an indignant looking Aino Minako emerged from the shadows brushing snow from her chest. She was dressed more appropriately for the cold weather than Rei was, although not by much.

Rei felt her pulse begin to race as the singer finally stood before her. "You were saying?"

Minako's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Duck."

Rei jumped aside just in time for another snowball to whiz past her, and the battle was on.

They chased one another around the grounds, their laughter mingling with the falling snow, before they stumbled together into a snowdrift, breathless with delight.

Rei barely noticed the cold temperature as Minako leaned over her, smiling.

"Come home with me tonight?" she asked in a whisper.

The warmth Rei had felt at her lover's return abruptly vanished, leaving her chilled. More than anything, she wanted to say yes, to go home with Minako that instant, to fall asleep beside her and wake up in her arms. Rei could have screamed in frustration. Of all the times her elders could have picked to be away.

"I—I can't, Mina. I have to—to stay and keep an eye on the shrine."

The idol's face fell, and she moved aside to let Rei sit up. "But—isn't there someone else who can do it instead, Reiko?"

Rei shook her head regretfully. "No, there's no one else here who can—who—" She trailed off, feeling rather stupid as she remembered. "There's—no one else—here."

The light of understanding came on in Minako's gaze, and her smile returned in full force.

"Do you want some company for the night?"

A shiver that had nothing to do with cold ran through Rei. She stood and helped the idol to her feet.

"I'd like that."

O~O~O~O

It wasn't until they stepped inside the Shrine that Rei noticed just how cold she had let herself become. In the excitement of seeing Minako for the first time in nearly three weeks, she hadn't realized that her robes were soaked to the skin from playing in the snow. Judging from the way the idol was trembling all of a sudden, she was in a similar state.

"C-c'mon, Mina. I've got an i-idea," Rei said, her teeth chattering. She took Minako's chilled hand in her own, and led her down the corridor.

Phobos and Deimos looked up with interest as Rei and Minako appeared in the doorway of the fire room.

"Am—am I a-allowed to be in here?" Minako murmured, her gaze riveted to the flames.

"Not really, b-but then, n-neither are these t-two." Rei gestured towards the ravens, who fluffed up their feathers importantly. "We won't tell if you won't, r-right guys?" She smirked as the birds squawked a reply, and led Minako closer to the fire. "I'm g-going to get us s-some dry clothes. J-just stay here and keep warm till I get b-back, okay?"

Minako nodded and pressed a kiss to Rei's cheek, her lips wonderfully warm. "Okay, love."

Rei grinned, knowing she was blushing. Already Minako's presence was heating her up far better than any fire ever could. As she stepped back into the corridor, the ravens gave another squawk.

"Oh, shut up, you perverts." Minako's grumbled reply was laced with amusement.

Laughing quietly, Rei made her way towards her bedroom.

O~O~O~O

Rei chuckled at the sight that greeted her when she returned to the fire room several minutes later. Minako was sitting cross-legged by the fire, with Phobos perched on her outstretched arm, apparently having a staring contest with the raven.

"How d'you tell the difference between these two, Reiko? They look exactly alike!" Phobos made a disgruntled sound and leapt off the idol's arm. "What? You do!"

"To be honest, I can't tell the difference either. Right, Phobos?" she said to Deimos. Rei laughed at the twin glares she received from the birds, and gave Minako a pair of her warmest pyjamas. "You can change in my room, Mina. Are you hungry at all?"

The idol accepted the pyjamas with a smile and shook her head. "Shacho made me eat something on the plane—he knew as soon as we landed that I'd want to come straight here and—" She giggled nervously, making Rei's cheeks redden.

It had been a shock for both women to learn that Minako's manager knew all about their relationship, having seen them together in what they thought was a deserted studio. They had been lucky not to have been spotted by someone else, as Shacho constantly reminded them. They were also quite fortunate that their relationship had his full support. It would have been very difficult to see Minako as often as she did, otherwise.

"He knows you too well." Rei knelt next to Minako, taking in her flushed cheeks and damp hair. "You should go change before you get sick, love. I'm going to make some hot chocolate for us. Sound good?"

Minako's eyes lit up. "With marshmallows?"

"Unless you'd prefer whipped cream."

The singer looked torn. "I can't have both?"

Rei shook with laughter and gave her lover a soft kiss. "You know I'd never refuse you, Mina. C'mon."

O~O~O~O

Something about the scene felt oddly familiar to Rei, as Minako perched on the kitchen counter, watching her prepare the hot chocolate. While they weren't doing anything out of the ordinary, it was quite exhilarating to have complete privacy in the shrine, to know that no one else might walk in on them at any moment.

The idol was currently holding the can of whipped cream hostage, under the guise of performing quality control on its contents. After several tastings, she had adopted a fake snooty accent, acting as though she was sampling a fine wine.

"The flavour's a rather robust one, with a sweetness I find I'm quite fond of, while the texture is quite unlike anything I've seen in a wine, but that only makes this particular vintage abso_lute_ly divine to serve with dessert." Minako pretended to adjust a pair of spectacles on the tip of her nose, making Rei snort with amusement.

"I'm not sure vintage whipped cream is a very good idea, Mina."

Minako pulled a face before spraying more of the sugary substance into her mouth.

Rei laughed, switching off the kettle as it came to a boil, and poured the steaming water into two mugs. "Can I have that back please?" she asked, holding her hand out for the whipped cream.

Minako shook her head. "Not without the magic word, Reiko."

"I _said_ please, though!"

"But it didn't sound as though you really meant it." The singer smiled coyly. "Show me how much you want it."

Something in her voice made Rei wonder if they were still just talking about the whipped cream.

She barely suppressed a grin. It was a game she and Minako had become very fond of playing—especially since they both always won.

Moistening her lips, Rei stepped up to the counter, between Minako's legs, and held her lover's eyes with a fiery stare. She ran her hands along Minako's thighs, wishing they weren't covered by pyjamas.

"Maybe I should get down on my knees and—beg?" Rei felt herself redden, surprised by the daring of her suggestion.

Minako's gaze flickered towards Rei's mouth, only inches from her own. "You're definitely getting warmer, Reiko," she purred.

"But are _you_, Mina?" Rei murmured. She grasped Minako's hips, pressing closely against her and received her answer.

"Maybe." Minako grinned impishly and sprayed a measure of whipped cream onto one of her fingers, holding it in front of Rei's face. Rei blinked in surprise. "You still want it?"

Feeling a smile quirking at the corners of her lips, Rei leaned forward and removed the sweet substance from Minako's skin, gently licking and sucking it clean. A pleasurable shiver ran through her at the sound of the idol's soft gasp.

"_Please_," Rei breathed. She wondered if Minako would be adverse to skipping the hot chocolate and moving straight to her bedroom.

Minako's cheeks flushed pink. "That's more like it."

O~O~O~O

Rei barely noticed the journey from the kitchen to her bedroom.

The idea of having hot chocolate had been pushed aside in favour of having one another instead. The only thing she did recall was the sensation of Minako's lips suddenly moving against hers, their arms around one another, as they eventually found their way to her futon.

Vaguely, Rei remembered thinking earlier that her bedroom was going to seem cold after leaving the fire room—she had never been so glad to be wrong.

They faced one another on the bed, Rei pulling Minako's legs around her waist as they kissed. The idol's mouth was deliciously sweet from the whipped cream she had been trying earlier, and Rei was certain the sugary treat could never taste as good as it did that moment on Minako's tongue. She cupped the singer's cheek and deepened the kiss further, eager for more.

Her other hand, meanwhile trailed up the smooth skin of Minako's stomach and closed around a wonderfully soft curve, massaging and caressing. The idol moaned into Rei's mouth and turned her attention to her lover's neck, her lips teasing the sensitive skin. Her own hands roamed freely beneath Rei's clothing, touching in ways that nearly made the priestess cry out by the time Minako took hold of her shirt to tug it over her head.

Before Rei could respond in kind, Minako pinned her against the futon, and lowered her mouth to her lover's bare torso, letting her mouth take over her hands' earlier ministrations. This time Rei _did_ cry out, and she was certain she felt Minako smile against her skin.

There was a fiery heat radiating from where the singer was pressed against Rei, making her positively ache for the rest of their clothing to evaporate. As Minako raised herself up to nuzzle Rei's neck, the priestess took the opportunity to grab her lover around the waist and flipped her onto her back.

She raised an eyebrow at Minako's look of delighted surprise.

"My turn," Rei said in a low voice. She had been unable to shake her playful suggestion from earlier, and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to try it.

To _taste_ Minako.

Before she could lose her nerve, Rei removed the rest of her own clothing, and with shaking hands, she unbuttoned the idol's shirt, parting it slowly. Her fingers traced a path along Minako's soft flesh, watching her lover's naked chest quickly rise and fall. Never once did the two women break eye contact as Rei's hands travelled further down, eventually reaching Minako's waist. Rei swallowed.

Sensing Rei's apprehension, Minako spoke up in a soft voice.

"You—you don't have to if you don't want to, Reiko."

Rei swallowed again and lowered her lips to Minako's body, following the path her hand had taken only moments before. She halted at the elastic waistband and raised her eyes to meet Minako's. She gave a smouldering grin.

"I want to."

With that, she took hold of Minako's pyjama bottoms, and slowly pulled them downwards.

O~O~O~O

It was the warmest Rei had been in days.

She and Minako were cocooned together beneath the blankets, wrapped around one another so closely, Rei was hard-pressed to tell where she ended and Minako began. She brushed a strand of hair back from her sleeping lover's forehead and kissed her cheek. Rei couldn't remember what time they had actually fallen asleep—they'd both been far too busy to look at the clock.

The priestess blushed at the memories of the previous night. She hadn't realized she could have such an effect on Minako's already powerful vocals. The sounds the idol had been producing under Rei's attentions... Rei could hardly wait to hear them again.

Minako stirred in Rei's arms and her eyelashes fluttered open. She beamed when she saw Rei, her cheeks pink with delight.

"Hi," Minako whispered.

Rei simply stared back at her lover, finding herself momentarily incapable of words. The idol giggled softly.

"Cat got your tongue?" she murmured, making Rei blush wildly. Of all the phrases Minako could have picked to utter... Rei buried her face in the idol's neck, wondering if Minako could feel the heat emanating from her skin. There was another soft giggle from the singer.

"I love waking up beside you like this," Minako said. Rei felt fingers running through her hair and let herself smile at the sensation. "I've missed you so much."

Rei breathed in her lover's scent and hugged her closer. "I missed you too, Mina."

Minako kissed the top of her head and sighed happily. "Hey, d'you know what we should do? We should play in the snow again later before it all melts. Maybe we could go sledding! We could race—"

The priestess raised her eyes, smirking. "Except there aren't too many good hills in the city, Mina."

Minako frowned for a moment. "Oh! I know! Mount Fuji! Now, that's a great hill!"

"No."

"Oh, c'mon, Reiko—"

"Not happening, Mina."

The idol huffed in annoyance and pouted at Rei. "You are no fun, d'you know that?"

"What, wanting to stay in bed with you all day isn't fun?" Rei returned Minako's pout.

Minako went pink. "I... retract my previous statement."

Grinning, Rei kissed her lover lightly on the nose. "Besides, we both know Mount Everest would be _way_ better for sledding."

Minako burst out laughing. "True. But—maybe some other time, then." She rolled onto her back, pulling Rei on top of her. "So, if we're going to stay in bed all day, what, may I ask, are we going to do with ourselves to pass the time, hm?"

Rei felt herself heating up as she once again recalled Minako's ecstatic cries from the night before. She moistened her lips and ran a hand up her lover's thigh.

"I—have a few ideas."

Minako's smile turned sultry. "Do tell."

O~O~O~O

Rei was unsurprised the next day by the sound of the fire room door sliding open behind her. She had known of the elders' impending return for hours, which gave her and Minako plenty of time for a proper farewell. The idol was heading back into the studio to record some new songs for her next album and would be very busy.

"Come visit me later, Reiko," she had said. "My private dressing room has this wonderful new couch..."

Rei turned and smiled at Hikawa shrine's leader before getting to her feet and bowing respectfully.

"Welcome back, Toshihiro-sensei."

"Thank you, Rei. I'm very sorry to disturb you at meditation, but I just wanted to be sure everything ran smoothly here while the rest of us were away."

"Everything was perfectly fine, sensei. Rather quiet, but fine."

He nodded, looking pleased. "Good, I'm glad. Well—I guess I'll leave you to it then." He made to depart, then paused. "You didn't have any trouble staying warm, I hope?"

Rei hoped the glowing flames behind her concealed the blush that crept into her cheeks at the innocent question.

She hadn't felt cold even once since Minako's return from London.

"No trouble at all, sensei." She couldn't help a bit of a grin. "None."

O~O~O~O

_Yet more author notes:_ Doc, I know you'll make your snowball fight way more awesome than mine.


End file.
